OXNARD — At the beginning of 2013 Oxnard witnessed the tragic and reoccurring flair up of deadly youth on youth (4 youth were killed by what was characterized by the community as Brown on Black violence).
In the wake of the killings, Black ministers, community leaders, and youth approached us (The KEYS Leadership Academy @ Café on A) to begin mapping together a strategy for peaceful co-existence between youth of color living and working in the greater Oxnard plains area. Thus was born the Black and Brown KEYS Youth Peace project. The Black and Brown leadership of our community understood that we are the only organization that has the defined goals, the ethical principles and the history of efficiently working with the acute active at-risk youth of the Oxnard plains that were perpetuating the violence.
After five months the Black and Brown KEYS Youth Project committee has crafted a unique hybrid KEYS Leadership Academy that will address the youth on youth violence, through structured classroom and community peace encounters, culturally competent educational remediation and higher education enrollment, empowerment and community activism infused with unconditional love, the arts and culturally appropriate and relevant events that will include: one to one companeros mentor/mentee ratio (college grads or student paired up with at-risk youth), jobs search, higher education preparation, unconditional love counseling, tutoring and mentoring, arts and culture that inspires and empower the youth toward his/her long term emancipation.
The Black and Brown KEYS Youth Peace Project, ages 14-24, is now a reality and it will begin our pilot program 4:30-6:00 pm, Monday, Aug. 26 at the Café on A . Open Enrollment.
Call Armando Vazquez at 805-216-4560 or Debbie De Vries at 805-216-4530 for more information.